Some familiar faces

MADAM, – Regarding the 1949 photo taken at St Patrick's School, above. I knew all the faces and at least five of those named.

The five are the Kelter twins, Ronnie Cartlidge, Mickey O'Keefe and of course, my younger brother John Nugent.

I always thought Mickey O'Keefe was an evacuee from London.

I remember Ronnie Cartlidge's dad filled his greenhouse with rabbits but they refused to stay put and dug their way into neighbouring gardens. Their lives improved to a marked degree when they devoured every vegetable being grown.

One of the Kelter twins went on to work as a plate layer on the railway, alongside my father in the 1960s.

My late brother John may have given the impression he was a mild mannered sort of person. However, Don Ratcliffe, the former Stoke City winger, inset, found out that he had a very short fuse when riled. We all knew that Don was a very talented footballer, and when St Patrick's drew his school in a cup competition, I decided to go and watch my brother play. Rather lanky, long-legged John was elbowed off the ball and Don strode forward in his usual cocky manner. John got up and flew after the little maestro like he was possessed. Poor Don Ratcliffe did a cartwheel as John's long left leg hooked around him. The playing surface was frozen solid and the speed Don crashed into it made me shudder. How he survived to play alongside Stan Matthews is amazing.

John's son is a captain in the Army and would find it hard to believe his mild-mannered dad almost crippled a Stoke City winger.